Cutting tool



0a. 29, 1940. FossA 2,219,476

CUTTING TOOL Filed Oct. 20, 1939 Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES2,219,476 CUTTING 'rooL.

Joseph Fossa, Lynn, Mass., assignor to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J.

Application October 20, 1939, Serial No. 300,415

' 6 Claims.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool for cuttingsuch lacing threads which will be particularly effective to cut thethread rapidly without likelihood of injuring the shoe. To this end andas illustrated, I have provided a thread cutting tool .comprising ashank terminating in a hook portion having an inwardly disposed cuttingblade provided with a projection extending beyond the blade for engagingthe shoe to guide the blade between the parts of the upper, and a guardextending into the proximity of the blade adjacent to the shoe-engagingportion. Preferably, the guard extends a sufficient distance laterallyof the blade such that the blade cannot be brought into contact with theupper of the shoe in such a way as to damage it.

These and other features of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed specification, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, and will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a side view of one form of my thread cutting tool with a shoepositioned in operative relation to it;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, on an enlarged scale, of theend portion of the tool illustrating the operation thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line III-III of Fig. 2.

The thread cutting tool comprises a shank l0 terminating in a hookportion 12 and having an inwardly disposed blade l4 terminating in acutting edge !6. At the end of the blade is a rounded shoe-engagingportion l8, which has a nose portion 26 extending slightly beyond theedge of the blade. The construction thus far illustrated would beeffective to cut lacing 50 threads, such as threads 22 securing togetherthe quarters .24 of a shoe 26, it being merely necessary to insert thenose portion 20 of the tool beneath the lowermost loop of the lacingthread and to draw the tool upwardly along the tongue to pick up thethreads to be-severed upon engagement with the cutting edge 16.

In order to prevent any likelihood of the blade cutting into the quarteror other parts of the upper, I have provided a guard 30 in the form of aplate secured to a bracket 32 slidably mounted upon the shank IS. Theguard is secured to the bracket by screws 34 extending through elongatedslots 36, thus to permit adjustment of the guard transversely of theshank Ill. The bracket with the guard can be moved along the shank Illand secured in adjusted position by a set screw. The forward portion ofthe guard is curved, as indicated by reference character 40, to providefor the guiding of the threads toward the cutting edge I6.

Preferably, the guard 30 is adjusted into a position, such as that shownin Fig. 2, in which the guard is spaced to provide some clearancebetween the blade and the guard, with the curved portion 40 of the guardlocated immediately in back of the nose portion 20 to provide forentrance of the threads between the guard and blade. It is to be noted(Fig. 3) that the guard extends sufiiciently on opposite sides of theblade ordinarily to prevent the blade from contacting with the edges ofthe quarter in operation of the tool upon shoes. Moreover, the lowerportion of the guard 30 is provided with a V-shaped notch 42 so relatedto the cutting edge l6, that the guard, if desired, can be adjusted intoposition such that the blade will extend part way into the notch. Withthe parts in either of the positions mentioned, there is littlelikelihood that the edges of the shoe quarters can engage the cuttingedge and be damaged.

It is contemplated that this tool can be used 0 as a hand tool. However,preferably, and as herein shown, the tool is secured to a last pullingmachine generally indicated by reference character 46, the shank I0being held in a bracket 48 on the machine by a set screw 50.

In the use of the device the shoe is presented to the tool in suchmanner that the nose portion 20 of the shoe-enaging member is positionedbeneath the lowermost loop of the lacing thread to be cut. The shoe isthen moved along the tool with the tongue portion of the shoe maintainedin contact with the nose 20, with the result that the nose 20successively picks up the loops 22, and the curved portion 40 of theguard serves to guide the loops into engagement with the cutting edgel6, which severs them.

Thus it will be seen that the invention provides a comparatively simpletool which is effective to out lacing threads without likelihood ofdamage to the upper of the shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A thread cutting tool comprising a shank terminating in a hookportion, a cutting edge disposed upon the inner side of the hookportion, a shoe-engaging portion projecting from the hook portion andextending beyond the cutting edge, and a guard carried by the shank andextending into juxtaposition to the cutting edge.

2. A thread cutting tool comprising a shank terminating in a hook, acutting blade disposed inwardly of the hook, a shoe-engaging memberextending beyond the outer end of the cutting blade, and a guardpositioned adjacent to the blade in back of the shoe-engaging member andhaving a curved portion for guiding lacing threads to the cutting blade.

3. A thread cutting tool comprising a shank terminating in a hook, acutting blade disposed inwardly of the hook, a shoe-engaging memberextending beyond the-outer end of the cutting blade, a guard positionedadjacent to the blade in back of the shoe-engaging member, and means forvarying the position of the guard relatively to the blade and to theshoe-engaging member.

4. A thread cutting tool comprising a shank terminating in a hook havingan inwardly disposed cutting blade, a shoe-engaging member extendingbeyond the outer end of the blade, a guard mounted upon the shank and.extending into the proximity of the blade, and means for mounting theguard for adjustment along the blade to space the guard from theshoe-engaging member.

5. A thread cutting tool comprising a shank terminating in a hook havingan inwardly disposed cutting blade, a shoe-engaging member extendingbeyond the outer end of the blade, a guard mounted upon the shank andhaving a portion extending along the blade in back of the shoe-engagingmember, and means for adjustably spacing the guard from the blade.

6. A thread cutting tool comprising a shank terminating in a hook, a.cutting blade disposed inwardly of the hook, a guard located upon theshank and having a portion extending into the proximity of the blade andextending transversely of the blade on opposite sides thereof, saidportion having a groove located opposite to the edge of the blade, andmeans for varying the position of said portion relatively to the blade.

JOSEPH FOSSA.

